Sure times are tough and money is tight. But the small business that combines frugailty with smart marketing will be a step ahead of its competitors. Here are a few tips for local and global marketing actions during this tight economic climate.

1. One of the more effective promotional activities arrives each time your local Public Broadcasting Station (PBS) holds its fund-raising auction.

Donate services or products, anything from a free counseling session to a gift certificate. Let the exuberant and motivated auctioneers do the rest. Make sure your business is well-represented by providing a written script with essential business information.

2. Sponsor the printing costs of programs for churches, local theatres and other cultural events; co-sponsor local sports teams; donate to a high visibility local fundraising campaign; assist with underwriting costs of a special event. Once you've made your upfront donation, the event organizers will do the rest. You business is featured as a local philanthropist, and the number of eyes viewing that program or news story will likely be higher and more receptive than a paid advertisement.

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Tutoring can be a profitable business venture regardless of economy.

Educational services are the number two industry in the United States with over 13 million employed in this sector. Of these numbers, 195,000 are self-employed, according to the government's Occupational Outlook Handbook.

Effects of the Recession

The economic downturn is having a profound effect on the need for retraining as thousands are dismissed from their jobs and forced to find employment in new fields.

Credit card debt will not be reduced if you continue to use them. Your very first step is to stop charging. Make a commitment to use your credit card for emergency purposes only.

Most Americans are familiar with the corporate whistle-blower. Their stories make good movies. But the reality is not always a happy ending.

Karen Silkwood, the woman who reported unsafe conditions at a U.S. nuclear power plant, disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Before her disappearance, Silkwood's fiance dumped her and she was estranged from her closest friends.

These two examples of high profile whistle-blowers make one thing clear: it's a high risk action. So think very carefully before you engage and consider the pros and cons of your action.

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The resignation letter serves more than one purpose. Its primary mission is to inform your employer of your imminent departure from the company. However, a well-crafted two-week notice can also work to resolve an ongoing dispute, compliment your supervisor and leave the door open for a possible return. The resignation letter may also affect your future job possibilities in the marketplace.

The process manual can be a godsend or a curse to an organization. If you have ever been presented with a two-pound tome that is frightening in its length and depth, then you will appreciate its positive alternative.

Writing that effective process manual takes into consideration many of the ingredients of any other piece of cogent writing. It is clear and easy to read.

The effective process manual is a tool and a resource. It should be so thorough and yet so understandable that when a workplace dispute arises, the process manual becomes the resolution to the problem. If the manual is the cause of the misunderstanding, then it has not fulfilled its function.

Use the following tips to devise an effective process manual.

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Calling writer's block an "illusion" is a path toward explaining what happens. But to thoroughly examine the experience, and determine whether this is an illusion, then definitions for each element of the experience - from the individual to the act of writing - are needed.

Are You a Candidate for Writer's Block?

An individual who experiences writer's block must be someone who writes meaningful expressions on a regular basis.

The meaningful expressions can fit into any genre from journal writing to news writing to fiction writing or poetry. This creative and intellectual expression must occur habitually. In other words, the person writes daily or every other day or once a week. The important thing is that there is a pattern to the writing exercise.

Someone who writes sporadically, without a routine and as whimsy hits, will not experience writer's block. Why not? Because this individual has not developed the "habit" of writing. The act of writing is not ingrained in their psyche. There is no mental or emotional investment in writing. It is an activity that may or may not take place, and when it does not occur, there is no sense of loss.

The person who has developed a habit of writing will experience writer's block. Now to the question: is this an illusion or a reality?

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